Pie in the Sky

What could possibly be better than pie? Fried pie, perhaps. An old-fashioned treat popular in the southwestern states, fried pies are making a name for themselves in the Shenandoah Valley, thanks to a small business called Ole’ Time Fried Pies. Run by the Beachy family—Alvin and Karen, both in their 50s, and their four daughters who range in age from 14 to 19—Ole’ Time Fried Pies delivers their home-cooked goods to nearly 30 businesses over a 300-mile radius from their hometown of Timberville twice a week. “It’s a family business,” Alvin says. Everyone participates, and even the school-aged girls are “on standby for the frying and delivering.”

So what is a fried pie? “Most people describe it as like a turnover,” explains Alvin, “basically we take a dough that we handmake ourselves, flatten it to a 6.5-inch circle, add the filling, fold over the dough and crimp the edge, then fry it.” It’s still pie, but better. Alvin got the idea from his sister, Anna, who has run her own fried pie operation in Texas for seven years. “She taught us everything we know about fried pies,” says Alvin. But there was a learning curve. “We tried them on our own the first time, and it was just a disaster,” says the Virginia native.

But they seem to have gotten the hang of it. They began just two years ago, but today the family fries nearly 2,000 pies over two days each week to keep up with demand. All of their fillings are handmade, and while the pies come in just about every flavor imaginable, from coconut cream to blackberry, they can do only 10 flavors each week. Apple and peach are favorites, but they frequently try out new flavors.

On top of the delivery business, you’ll find the Beachys frying on-site at festivals across Virginia most weekends during the summer. Some people recognize the treats, but it seems to have skipped a generation: “In Texas,” says Alvin, “it’s not uncommon for people to say ‘My mama used to make these,’ but in Virginia, you’re more likely to hear ‘My grandma used to make these.’” If the Beachys are bringing the fried pie back to Virginia, well, that’s all right with us. 540-435-2077